Nursing Pay Rates, Explained

Online lists stating the average pay for nurses nationwide can vary wildly and often suggest that huge rises or drop have occurred, but what’s the final word on how (and what) nurses actually get paid under various circumstances? We take a look at the most up-to-date numbers and what the statistics can – and can’t – tell us.

What do nurses make per year?

Pay scales, low ranges

While some lower-paying states average in the $27s for per-hour pay, stats show that some areas within the top ten highest paying states also average as low as $28.62. This raises the question that these lists may not be averaging just RN pay into these salary numbers.

A registered nurse working at a big city hospital – on average – can earn more than $40/hour, though a licensed practical nurse in a small-town rest home might not make half that wage.

It’s important to remember that hourly wages don’t reflect the extra hours and higher pay of overtime, which almost all nurses work voluntarily and/or as part of their contract, “as needed.” We spotted one salary site poster, who identified themselves as an RN say: “you might have to work 80 hours a week but even at $20-25/hour, you can still bring in $100K a year”

Pay scales, high ranges

Nursing in America is a vast profession, covering millions of people employed in thousands of different positions and hundreds of job types: a chief nurse anesthetist can make more than $173,740 a year, five times what some LPNs bring home in the same time.

Keep in mind that, while some scales may be brought down in average hourly pay by including LPNs with RNs, other scales from job sites and the like may be raised by including numbers from higher-paid senior and specialist nurses. These lists also tend to be perpetuated over many other sites and blogs which may not verify the source or accuracy of the information for themselves or put the information in its proper context.

Location can affect a nurse’s salary.

Location, location, location

As of May 2017, the BLS reported that RN salaries across various states varied massively but according to these latest stats, the average American RN makes about $35 an hour, or about $73,550 a year.

However, RNs working in the highest paying states can earn far more than nurses elsewhere and among the highest-paying regions of those states, RNs can earn even more. For example, while the median pay for RNs in California is $49.37/hour, or about $96,470/year, RNs in the modest 51,000-resident city of Watsonville, CA, typically make more than $59.84/hour, or about $124,470 per year.

Here’s how annual salaries in the highest-paying areas of America’s highest-paying state for RNs play-out:

Area of California

Average RN Annual Wage 2017

San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City CA Metropolitan Div

$139,700

Salinas CA

$129,940

San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara CA

$129,140

Santa Cruz-Watsonville CA

$124,470

Vallejo-Fairfield CA

$119.830

If you think that’s astronomical for a non-specialist RN, a nurse in rural Soldad, CA made $331,346 in 2008, including $211,257 in overtime. Between 2006 and 2013, she was paid nearly $2 million and was one of 42 nurses in California to make more than a million dollars in the 6 years between 2006 and 2012. While that is an extreme example, here’s how much a typical RN in the five highest paying states brings in:

Highest paying states for nurses in 2017 (median pay):

State

Hourly / Annual Pay

1. California

$49.37 / $102,700

2. Hawaii

$46.63 / $96,990

3. District of Columbia

$43.32 / $90,110

4. Massachusetts

$42.95 / $89,330

5. Oregon

$42.68 / $88,770

Contrast that with what you’d be making as an RN in the five lowest-paying states in America:

Lowest paying states for nurses in 2017* (median pay):

(*Not including statistics for Guam or Puerto Rico)

State

Hourly / Annual Pay

50. South Dakota

$27.40 / $57,010

49. Mississippi

$27.74 / $57,700

48. Alabama

$27.83 / $57,890

47. Iowa

$27.85 / $57,930

46. Arkansas

$28.27 / $58,810

Nurse pay rates by training, specialty, and type of work environment

Nursing salaries vary not only between states and cities, but also between specialized knowledge and skills, positions, and the environment. For example, while a staff nurse in an occupational health department might make a medium annual salary of $78,060, a transplant coordinator can bring in an average $81,333.

Nurses in clinics typically earn less than nurses working in hospitals, while nurse administrators, nurse practitioners, and specialists such as anesthetists make significantly more than general RNs. Here’s a look at some typical annual salaries for such positions:

Clinical Nurse Specialist: $102,843

Head Nurse:$106,162

Nurse Practitioner:$105,165

Nurse In Charge of Intensive Care Unit:$106,962

Certified Nurse Midwife: $106,187

Nursing Director:$142,964

Certified Nurse Anesthetist:$179,015

Chief Nurse Anesthetist: $209,872

Overall pay -vs- regional cost-of-living

Having said all that, it’s useful to bear in mind that the highest-paying nursing job may not necessarily give you the highest standard of living. By moving from an RN position in Indianapolis, Indiana (earning an average annual salary of $59,633) to Philadelphia, you’d have to be making $80,148 a year to have the same lifestyle you had back at the “crossroads of America”. Unfortunately, a typical RN salary in Philadelphia is about $65,993 a year.

Wondering what your quality of life will be if you’re earning a particular nursing salary in a particular state or city? Check out PayScale.com’s Cost Of Living Calculator.

Nursing – One of America’s largest profession

With more than 3 million RNs alone (more than 4 million nursing and nursing-related staff, including nurse aides and assistants), nursing is one of the most common professions in America, and there is still a shortage in the profession. It’s no wonder then that nursing salaries and hourly wages seem to vary so widely across regions, workplaces, and employment circumstances and that the official statistics are so hard to decipher.

10 comments on “Nursing Pay Rates, Explained”

unable to apply for cna position on line. I worked as a Certified Nursing Assistant for the County of Alameda County Medical Center for over 6 six years before getting laid off. I love to help othes in need, as long as i see a smile on he patienta pace ihen i would know that my job today was done. Thank you, and Gof Bles EMMA lAURA BROWN You may reach me at 805-200-8597 adress 10955 willow lane,ca 92301

Wow! It is very interesting to see how the location and specialty of an RN job can really make such a huge difference in pay. This is also the same with travel nursing jobs. However, a huge benefit of travel nursing is that it isn’t only large cities and highly populated states that pay big, it could be anywhere!

You could earn the same excellent pay working a small town OR RN Travel Nursing Job in East Texas as you could in Seattle, Washington. These are two very different locations, but as a traveler you are paid a premium rate because you are a premium RN with the right skills and abilities needed for the job.

If you are an RN that feels like you are ready to hit the road and finally start making the money that you deserve, give me a call. I’d love to talk with you about our current openings and see what may be the best fit for you.
You can reach me at 855.881.1535, or email me at daniel.jones@soliant.com.

Why do nurses make the same wages? Since I was an aide in the late 90’s the nurses were making the same wages, as today. I never won’t ed to further my education due to this, why burden myself with a high loan , if the pay isn’t worth it.

Here is a trick my employer is using to decrease wages. IF you don’t provide documentation that you are working ABOVE your job expectation you lose 8% pay even when your annual eval says you’re doing a great job and get a 3% raise (max.)